Method for covering the outer faces of a container



June 1-970 v. ZUCCHELLI 3,515,613

METHOD FOR COVERING THE OUTER FACES OF A CONTAINER Filed June 10, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A2 ea y U! 1 y g J F93 F794 I J 1:: I l/a I l fi I l Fig.5

INVENTOR VLfi'orLo' zuc'zkeni.

1 1970 V.ZUCCHELI II I I 3515;613-

METHOD FOR COVERING THE OUTER FACES or A CONTAINER.

Filed June 10. 1966 2 sheets-sheet 2 F/ .45 um-m g ULttOrw Quack: L

INVENTOR United States Patent 3,515,613 METHOD FOR COVERING THE OUTER FACES OF A CONTAINER Vittorio Zucchelli, Via Massarenti 190, Bologna, Italy Filed June 10, 1966, Ser. No. 556,732 Claims priority, applicationtaly, June 12, 1965,

Im. ci.B29c 17/02 U.S. Cl. 156-213 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to a method of covering and sealing a covering sheet material (such as a fabric, hide, leatherette and the like) on a container for jewels or the like, where the covering material has to be firmly secured along the inner edges of the containers themselves, in such a way as to improve the aesthetic appearance of the containers.

Nowadays such an operation is usually effected manually or by means of complicated machines which at any rate very often involve manual intervention, and require gluing of the covering material edges, or seaming, where possible, or even the clamping of the covering material by means of suitable rings provided along the inner perimeter of the box.

According to the invention the fixing of the covering material of containers is obtained in a simple way, without using any special gluing or sealing materials and without the need of fastening claws, rings or the like.

The present invention provides a method of covering the outer faces of a container comprising a box portion and a lid portion providing the steps of drawing or spanning a suitable covering sheet material such as fabric on a seat element adapted to receive at least one of said box and lid portions; locating at least one of said box and lid portions in said seat and on said fabric drawn thereon; inwardly bending the edges of said covering over the peripheral rim of said at least one box and lid portions, inserting a punch means into said at least one box and lid portions, heating said punch means to a temperature to cause the melting of the thermoplastics material of which said box and lid portions consist sealing said turned over edges of said covering material to melted spots inside said at least one box and lid portions, and disengaging said punch means from said at least one box and lid portions.

The scaling is obtained by means of a suitably heated sealing punch which may be moved into a perimetrical engagement position of the inner container wall, the latter consisting of thermoplastics material, thereby obtaining the melting of the thermoplastics material. The melted material of the container wall penetrates a covering material edge pressed thereon by the sealing punch itself and ice in this way a simple and effective sealing therebetween is obtained. To this end the box or contained element should be manufactured preferably by molding, from a suitable thermoplastics material such as polystyrene or the like and should have, at the portions of the inner walls where the heated sealing punch has to be applied, a number of suitable welding lugs or bosses. The latter are designed to be melted during the sealing operation.

It should be noted that the covering of the two parts forming a container (box and lid) is effected by using a single piece of covering material, which is not cut at the two edges on which a container hinge has to be fixed. In this way the need of providing separate coverings for the box and lid and their subsequent connection by means of the hinge is avoided. These operations usually involve cutting of the covering material and the inserting into slits provided in the container walls of the tabs of a hinge. The container obtained according to the invention is time saving and has desired aesthetic improvements.

These and further characteristics of the invention will appear clear from the following description given by way of a non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a container part to be covered according to the method of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional detailed view of the side wall of the container part in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating the sealing punch action on the container part covered by a covering material such as fabric before sealing;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating the container part with the fabric after sealing;

FIG. 5 diagrammatically shows an apparatus for carrying out the method according to the invention, in case of simultaneous covering of the two elements forming the container;

FIG. 6 is a cross-section of the apparatus shown in FIG. 5 and where holding elements for the box and lid forming the container are provided;

FIG. 7 is a plane view of the slide device receiving the box and the lid forming the container and provided with the covering fabric laid thereon;

FIG. 8 is a detailed view illustrating the holding device of the box or lid forming the container and the bending device of the covering material along the edge of the box or lid; and

FIG. 9 is a detailed view illustrating the sealing punch during the sealing operation.

With reference to FIG. 1 the box 1 which is shown together with a lid having substantially the same shape, forms a container for example for jewels and is obtained by molding operation from a suitable thermoplastics material such as polystyrene or the like. The box 1 has a bottom 6 and side walls 2. The side wall 2 is shaped as illustrated in FIG. 2. A portion 3 of the same is inclined inwardly. If desired a perimetrical step or side walls 4-5 may be further provided. The perimetrical Zone delimited by the inclined portion 3 takes on a frusto-conical or frusto-pyramidal shape depending on the circular or rectangular shape of the box.

The covering material such as fabric T (FIGS. 34), after having been drawn on the outer surface, in view, of the box 1, is bent over the rim 22 and clamped thereon by suitable devices to be described hereinafter. A peripheral edge of fabric T freely projects inwardly of the box 1. A sealing punch P is then lowered, it being heated to a suitable temperature by an electric resistance. The diameter of such punch is little less than the inner diameter of the rim 22, but greater than the outer diameter of step 4. In this way the punch P while lowering causes the sealing of the fabric to take place inside the box 1 along all its perimeter at the portions A and A (FIG. 4).

The sealing takes place owing to partial melting of plastics material at the contact points with the punch P and penetration of the same into the fabric T which is further drawn on the box 1 by the punch during the down stroke of the latter.

In FIG. 5 there is diagrammatically illustrated an apparatus for covering and welding the two elements forming a container (box and lid). It consists of a slide S movable along a guide R. In the starting position the slide S is below a head M which can vertically reciprocate and is provided with two elements L and L for holding the box 1 and the lid 101. The said holding elements L and L (FIGS. 6 and 8) are provided with suitable members for engaging the inner side walls of the box 1 and lid 101. Such members may consist of balls 7 located along the periphery of the bottom rim of elements L and L and urged outwardly by springs 8. The balls 7 thus provide a release engagement for the lid 101 and the box 1, the balls acting upon the inner vertical side wall 5 of the said parts 1 and 101 forming a container.

The slide S (FIGS. 6 and 7) is provided with two seats 9 and 109 to receive the parts 1 and 101 of the container, the two seats being divided by a partition 10 and provided with bottom elements 11 and 111 respectively vertically movable within seats and substantially so shaped as to perfectly meet the outer shape of the box 1 and lid 101.

Along the four sides of the slide S plates 13-113-213- 313-413-513 are provided which are (manually or mechanically) operable in such a way as to longitudinally reciprocate within seats 9 and 109 (FIGS. 6 and 7). The maximum movement in the longitudinal direction of the plates 13113-213313-4-13'513 corresponds to the width of the top rim 22 of the box 1 (or 101).

The operation of the machine is as follows: the operator supplies a box 1 and a lid 101 respectively to the holding element L and L; he then spreads or spans the piece of fabric T, having substantially the shape indicated in FIG. 7, over the upper rim of the slide, thus covering the seats 9 and 109 of the latter. He subsequently causes the lowering of the head M, thus carrying the box 1 and the lid 101 into the seats 9 and 109, respectively. Such an operation causes the fabric T to stretch adhering to the outer surfaces of the two parts 1 and 101 forming the container, while the provision at the middle position of the slide S, of two transverse side cutting blades 16 (FIGS. 6 and 7) causes the fabric T to be cut at two edges of the fabric adjacent at the partition 10 outside the rectangle defined by the seats themselves. When the box 1 and lid 101 are located within the seats 9 and 109, the operator causes the plates 13113-213313-413513 to move horizontally.

In this way a bending of the fabric T is provided on the rim 22 (FIG. 8) and the container parts 1 and 101 are clamped within the seats 9 and 109 respectively in the slide. The head M rises and the lid 101 and box 1 are disengaged from the two holding elements L and L. The slide S is then moved along the guide R (FIG. 5 into the position S1 where the operator provides, if necessary, a better bending by hand of the free edge of fabric within the box and lid. The slide is subsequently moved into the position S2, below the head N provided with the two welding punches P and P suitably heated. The head N is lowered and the two punches eflfect the welding of the fabric T to the inner edge of the little box or of the lid, as above specified. The slide is subsequently moved back into the position S1, where the operator inserts the tabs of a suitable hinge (not shown) into the slits 14 and provided along the adjacent edges of the box 1 and the lid 101 (FIG. 6). The operator then disengages the box 1 and the lid 101 from the seats 9 and 109, respectively, of the slide, acting upon the plates 13-113-213-313413- 513, and causes the container thus finished to be expelled by means of suitable members 12 and 112 (FIG. 6) acting upon the bottom elements 11 and 111 of the seats 9 and 109. The container thus externally covered with fabric has the particular and advantageous feature that the covering of its two component parts is effected using a single piece of fabric, thus, at the hinge of the container itself, the fabric remaining uncut. The above feature, besides offering an aesthetic improvement consisting in hiding the hinge by the fabric, gives a remarkable economical advantage due to the saving of time obtained.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and may be advantageously applied to any kind of containers or boxes even to single elements thereof. Furthermore many modifications may be provided for example as far as the apparatus for carrying out the method according to the invention, which apparatus may have a roundabout shape or be continuous chain like or according to similar system. Thus for example the slide S may vertically reciprocate, the heads M and N being stationary. Also the holding elements L and L may advantageously be replaced by others having the same function without departing from the scope of the inventive idea as above described and claimed hereinbelow.

What is claimed is:

1. A method for covering the outer faces of a container having a box portion and a lid portion each made of thermoplastics material, wherein a covering sheet material is bent over the edges of the container and a heated punch member is caused to seal the covering sheet material on a container surface, and wherein according to the improvement the method comprises spanning said covering sheet material over the recessed seat portions of a seat element adapted snugly to receive said box and lid portions, locating said box and lid portions above the spanned portion of said covering sheet material in register with said seat portions, pushing said box and lid portion into said seat portions against the action of said spanned portion of said covering sheet material thereby to press said spanned portion of said covering sheet material over the outer faces of said box and lid portions, inwardly bending the edges of said covering sheet material over the peripheral rims of said box and lid portions, inserting a punch means into said box and lid portions, heating said punch means to a temperature to cause the melting of thermoplastics material of which said box and lid portions consist, sealing said turned over edges of said covering material to melted spots inside said box and lid portion and disengaging said punch means from said box and lid portions.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the heating of said punch means is effected before the insertion of said punch means into the box and lid portions.

3. An apparatus for covering the outer faces of a container with a box portion and a lid portion each made of thermoplastics material, comprising in combination a seat element adapted to receive at least one of said box and said lid portions, a guide member for supporting said seat element and allowing displacement of said seat element along said guide member, said seat element having recessed seat portions, holding means for said box and lid portions and movable in a direction perpendicular to said guide member thereby to transfer said box and lid portions into the recessed portions of said seat element, when said seat element is positioned in register with said holding means, sealing punch means laterally spaced from said holding means and movable perpendicular to said guide member, thereby to engage said seat element and exert sealing action thereon when said seat element is positioned in register with said punch means.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said 5 holding means comprises a head, a laterally extensible spherical element on at least one lateral side of said head and resilient means in said head and urging said laterally extensible spherical element in a laterally extended position thereof, thereby to engage an inner side wall of said container.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said sealing punch means comprises a metallic punch member having substantially the same transverse dimensions as the recess defined by said box and lid portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,749,264 6/1956 Emrick 156224 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,156,220 10/1963 Germany. 5 JOHN T. GOOLKASIAN, Primary Examiner W. E. HOAG, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

